Shown here (in an awesome collapsible bento box — I love these space-saving little gems) is a quick dish of spaghetti tossed in sundried tomato pesto and shrimp, sprinkled with some parmesan cheese.

Bits of my Legaspi Sunday Market haul can be seen in the top tier. Those baguette circles? Awesome, handmade artisinal bread, prepared by a French expat. Unlike other baguettes I’ve tried before, this one was pleasantly dense and moist in the center. To go with it, I brought along a little cup of velvety Bangus Pate (Milkfish Pate). It never occurred to me that fish could be made into pate, being more familiar with the usual liver or meat. It really was a nice discovery—I finished most of the bottle myself.

Lastly, I skewered some thickly sliced pepperoni and quail eggs. Yep, I used the fancy schmancy quail egg molds again. Hey, it was an effort having them shipped from overseas, might as well try to get the most mileage out of them.

There you have it. Quickly prepared pasta, store-bought gems and easy bento fillers from the fridge. Wouldn’t it be nice if lunch were always this easy to cobble together?

After getting on stage, he started regaling us with anecdotes about brunch. About how originally, brunch was for the privileged because, after all, they were the only ones who had the resources to laze about in the mornings. He even did this routine poking fun at the French who apparently, refused to acknowledge the existence of brunch, instead coining a meal called The Grand Breakfast to describe something that combines breakfast AND lunch! It was funnier when he was delivering it, trust me. While all this was happening, our own brunch was carted in and good lord, it looked so good I had a hard time deciding what to do—mind my brunch or listen to Bobby. Great time to put my multi-tasking skills to use.

We were served Salmon Scramble, a dish that had perfectly prepared smoked salmon omelet heaped on herbed focaccia. Each bite was delightful, as the smoked salmon retained a nice texture that was firm, yet different from cooked salmon. It was something new for me because I’ve never tried smoked salmon in a cooked dish before. One the side was a helping of chicken sausages which, unlike other chicken sausages that tended to be on the bland, mushy side, was robust and had a firm, crackly skin. It reminded me of specialty sausages, like bratwurst and schueblig from my favorite delis. All part of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s new brunch offerings. Of course, if you’d like something light like pastry or something, you can still get that.

As I was surreptitiously digging in—I didn’t want Bobby to catch me not paying attention—he continuously regaled us with anecdote after anecdote about food and his life. How he used to work the stock market floor (he holds a degree in finance), how he got himself fired by swearing at his boss on a daily basis, how he started in the food industry as a waiter, how he broke his back working in the kitchen (’Restaurant kitchens are full of assholes. With sharp knives.’) and eventually bounced back while apprenticing in France. Normal stuff, you’d think, but when Bobby relates the stories, you can’t help but keep laughing, especially as he does all these accents and caricatures. Stand-up comic material, I tell you.

It was probably the coffee. I think he had what, 4 or 5 large cups? The man loves his coffee. Each time he finished a cup, he’d ask for a fresh one. Half-soy, half-skim, he told us. Something about the combination has a certain thing going on. Of course, I made a mental note to try it next time. When a famous chef tells me to try something, I listen.

Capping off our brunch was dessert. On the plate, it looked like a normal Oreo cheesecake. After a bite though, I found myself having a hard time putting my finger on what was different. It has Camembert cheese, we were told, which made for the slightly different flavor. I am more used to cheesecake made with normal Philly cream cheese so the Camembert surprised me. Adding a bit of playfulness texture-wise were slivers of gelatin folded into the cheese.

After the end of his lengthy but entertaining talk, (”She handed me a piece of paper saying, ‘Wrap up in 5-7 minutes.’ I don’t know, my Chinese eyes read that as 57 minutes,”) they opened the floor for questions. Yes, he tried Filipino food, like kare-kare, champorado (’like chocolate congee!’), balut, and his favorite, adobong pusit (’that squid in black sauce’). He answered more questions—his favorite TV chefs include Jamie Oliver, Tony Bourdain and of course, sexy Nigella Lawson—but eventually, brunch had to come to an end. We got our photos taken (Wheee! I have a photo with Bobby Chinn!), said our goodbyes and had to leave. Oh well. At least we’ll always have World Café Asia.

Yes, a couple of months ago, I was finally able to get my hands on a set of quail egg molds (from ebay, if you’re curious). I’ve been meaning to share the pics but I think my large blog post backlog is already common knowledge to most of you. These egg molds work the same way as the large ones for chicken eggs — slip hot peeled hardboiled egg in, then steep in water bath or pop in the freezer for a few minutes.

What came out were cute little eggs, three emblazoned with cute chick faces while the other three (only two shown here) were embossed with animal heads. It’s not a tool I’d used on a daily basis, but the instant cute factor they add to food is irresistible.

Together with my cute quail eggs, I had some crispy corned beef, steamed rice, and a small fresh salad of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes, to be dressed with a ready-made Japanese vinaigrette. Hearty, yes. Cute, very very much.

Imagine, sinking your teeth into one of these moist, cake doughnuts slathered with Peanut Butter kreme (made with Reese’s!), graham cracker crunch and either caramel or chocolate. I got a whiff of it when I opened a box and it had my mouth watering. Very decadent, but surprisingly not as sugary as it looks. It’s really something that’s best enjoyed with a cup of strong coffee. So, win some for your dad and then remind him to share.

To win, simply tell us what’s the sweetest thing you’ve done (or are planning to do) for your Dad and you’ll be included in a daily drawing for donuts. And if I love your answer, you automatically get another raffle slot, doubling your chances to win.

Non-winning entries are automatically carried over to the next raffle. So yes, if you post your comment on June 17, you get 14 chances to win! Times two if I love your entry. Each person can only win once though, to spread the donut love all around. So, start racking your brains and make your sweet comments already!

EDIT - 18 June 2009: I just found out that the prize is a dozen doughnuts OF YOUR CHOICE and not all Classic Peanut Butter and Stripes. Even better yes? This way, you can choose your old favorites (Original Glazed and Strawberry Filled for me!) and combine them with new variants you’re curious about.

EDIT - 27 June 2009: Please, only one entry per person. Additional entries from the same person will not be counted. In case of multiple entries, only the first one will be counted.

Winners List

1. June 17 - dementedchris
2. June 18 - Kyameel
3. June 19 - ALIZAAA
4. June 20 - elsa magdaleno
5. June 21 - Stephie
6. June 22 - Keirra
7. June 23 - dot
8. June 24 - novo
9. June 25 - Jackiesangel
10. June 26 - Drew
11. June 27 - Lesley
12. June 28 - Rizelle R. Makayan
13. June 29 - Toni
14. June 30 - Chiqui

Fineprint:
Winners will be notified through email and through this blog post. Prizes, in the form of a Gift Certificate, will be mailed to the winner. Winners will be required to submit their name and contact details. Giveaway valid only in the Philippines. Image used above is property of Krispy Kremes. Used with permission.

Thank you to Krispy Kreme Philippines and GeiserMaclang for making this contest possible.